Monthly Archives: December 2009

Okay, so I hope you like the changes I’ve made so far. If you are new here, take a look around. I just started filing away the recipes I’ve used and featured on this site in a neat page I like to call the “recipes” page. It can be found at the top of this one. I have just slightly changed the look or “theme” of the pages to be more readable. I am also going to have shorter posts, and the recipes will be after the “jump” (just click on the little ” read more” link.) As previously mentioned, you’ll also be able to find the recipes on the new page.

I wanted to try out (or really, use) the Silpat (a silicone non-stick mat used on cookie sheets or jelly-roll pans or any other flat surface to create a non-stick surface that is reusable and easy to clean) and the ramekins I/my mother bought me for my birthday. What better way to try these new kitchen items than to make brittle and chocolate pudding? I couldn’t think of anything either. (Yet.)

Both recipes were actually quite similar in method, and both things are easy to make. Quite simply, add things to a heavy-bottomed pot, wait a bit, add some more things, stir them around, and pour them out. Almost sounds like the hokey-pokey. (Just put your right hand in, etc. You don’t hear the similarities? Hmm…maybe that’s just my inner child poking it’s way out. Get it? POKING? Hokey-POKEy? Huh?) Anyway, if you are still interested in finding out about how to make brittle and/or chocolate pudding, just click away, and I’ll see you after the jump. (Just put your whole-self in…)

I know I have not posted in a while, but trust me, I’ve been baking! I just want to let you know that I am working on editing the site a little bit. Right now, I am working on my “recipes” page (see top of page) where you’ll be able to find recipes that I have featured on my site. This only includes the recipes that are actually typed onto the site, and not the ones that are really pictures of recipes I scanned into my computer. (At least for right now.) I am looking into having my posts shorter, with the recipes on their own page, and you’ll be able to get to the recipes either through the post, or through the recipe page. So, I promise I will update with the new things I’ve been baking shortly. But for now, browse the rest of the site, and check out the recipe page that I am working on! I, of course, really appreciate any thoughts/comments/questions/concerns you might have about the site (and/or otherwise! :o)

Like this:

I was featured in an article on Divine Caroline, which was written by my friend, Allison Ford. It is all about baking and cooking during the holidays, but is a good list of tips for any baker or cook anytime of the year! Enjoy!

Like this:

Yesterday, I made sugar cookies for the last day of Hanukkah party I helped Benjie host. I made two different recipes, one was (I think) the recipe from the back of the Domino’s sugar bag, and is a regular sugar cookie recipe, which used only white granulated sugar. The other one I have saved from Gourmet magazine, and it is a brown sugar cookie recipe. The first one can be rolled and shaped and cut out and decorated. The other can be scooped, and is more like a chocolate chip cookie dough recipe without the chocolate chips. I decorated with sprinkles and blue icing. Many people like to use royal icing for decorating cookies, but with everything else going on for the party (we made latkes, too) I didn’t want to make royal icing. However, I will include the recipe just in case you want it for your sugar cookies. The royal icing is from A Field Guide To Cookies, which is written by another food blogger; her site is called Dessert First.

So, here are the recipes, in order they were mentioned:

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups sifted flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 cup butter

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup sugar or 1- 1/2 cups sugar

1 egg

Heat oven to 375º. Sift together the dry ingredients; set aside. Cream together butter and vanilla. Add either 3/4 cup sugar or 1-1/2 cups for chewy cookies. Beat in the egg. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator. Lightly grease cookie sheet. Roll out and cut to desired shapes. You can add sprinkles right into the dough, and/or you can add sprinkles to the top of the cookies. The colder the dough, the easier it is to handle. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on rack. Makes 1-1/2 dozen large cookies.

(Almond) Brown sugar cookies (from Gourmet magazine)

1-1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 stick butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

(1/2 cup whole blanched almonds = 2-1/2 oz)

Whisk together dry ingredients. Beat butter and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add in egg and vanilla. Mix in flour mixture. (Stir in almonds) Roll into logs and chill or freeze dough or scoop onto baking sheets. If you rolled the dough into logs, you will slice the dough less than 1/8 inch thick. If you scooped them, use the back of a wet spoon or wet the palm of your hand, and press down. Bake cookies 12-15 minutes. Cool on racks. Makes 100 to 120 sliced cookies. I think I made about 12-18 3 inch scooped cookies.

Royal Icing

2 egg whites

1 Tbs. lemon juice

3 cups powdered sugar

food coloring

Whisk all ingredients except for the coloring in a clean bowl on high speed. They should be shiny and an opaque white. It should be a glue-like consistency. Divide into bowls and mix in the coloring as desired. Keep covered with a damp towel so it does not dry out.

So, those are the recipes for sugar cookies and royal icing for decorating. I really liked the brown sugar cookies, and I think that was everyone’s favorite as well.

Preparation:
Sift together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add milk and egg; beat until batter is smooth. Fold in chopped apple. Drop by teaspoonfuls into deep hot oil — about 370° and at least 2 1/2 to 3 inches deep — and fry for about 2 to 3 minutes, until nicely browned.
Drain well on paper towels then roll in confectioners’ sugar while still warm. Serve as is or warm, with syrup, if desired.

I thought the batter was a little thick, so I added more milk. I also thought that they were a little bland, so I added cinnamon to the batter. I also used a heaping 1/4 cup full of batter, and they turned out with a funky shape, but still taste awesome. They are a good thing to fry this week for Hanukkah. Oh, how I love fried food! But I know that it is bad for me, so I try not to eat it too often and I will try not to consume too much of it this week! Happy Hanukkah everyone! 😮

I think this one kinda looks like a (snow covered) person, or perhaps a teddy bear?(hmm…do you see it?):

Like this:

okay, so another baking-with-what-I-have-on-hand-post post. This time, I am waiting for a chocolate, chocolate chip bundt cake to come out of the oven. (yes, somehow, I always have some chocolate on-hand.) This recipe is slightly changed from the “Mocha Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake” recipe from Gourmet that I saved. Since I didn’t have instant espresso powder on hand, and I didn’t feel like making icing, this cake isn’t mocha, and it doesn’t have icing. If you look closely at the ingredients, and then at the directions, you will notice the changes I made. I also had regular-sized chocolate chips at home, so that’s what I used.
Here is the full recipe:

so, as you can see, to imitate the cake that I made, you just take out the butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and the espresso powder used to make the icing and the flavor mocha. Also, I just used a whisk, and my (wo)man power to mix all of the ingredients together. I think it turned out okay. There will, of course, be pictures of the cake posted later.

Like this:

Instead of using blogger, I am trying to create my blog on wordpress. I have imported all of the posts I had on blogger to wordpress, and right now, the links that are used throughout the posts are linked back to blogger. I am trying to figure out how to automatically direct the blogger site to this one. If anyone knows how, please comment and help me out! Also, if you notice anything that was on the blogger site that is now missing (besides the ads) and you think it should be added, let me know. I really appreciate your help and I hope this transition goes smoothly. I also appreciate any comments/questions/concerns you have about my blog at all. Thanks!
***EDIT: I have successfully made it so that you get redirected to this site from the old blogger site. However, I am still trying to change it for each blog post. So if you click on a link that is supposed to lead to another post, for example, the link to the “chocolate wafers” from the “chocolate cheesecake” does not work as of right now.
Again, thanks for your patience during this transition. Hopefully, I will have everything up and running smoothly very soon.***EDIT (AGAIN): I changed the layout back and I am not redirecting the blogger site to this one because I lose the other links. You are just going to have to bookmark this site now. If you click on a link from this site, it will direct you back to the blogger site, unless it is a new post, then it will be on this site (WordPress). Sorry for this confusion, but this is the best I can do for now. ***